Aurora Financial Strategies

07/16/2026

What does it really take to become a millionaire?
Brian Iles from our team dives into this in his latest blog post, exploring the what and how behind reaching millionaire status.
https://www.aurorafinancialstrategies.com/blog/what-does-it-take-to-become-a-millionaire

Investment Advisory Services are offered through BCGM Wealth Management, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.

Brian Iles shares his thoughts on reaching millionaire status.

07/14/2026

Unemployment remains at 4.2%, but fewer people are actively participating in the labor market.
According to government data, the labor force declined by 720,000 people in June and by more than 1 million over the past year.

While June’s decline may be overstated, a shrinking labor force could create a meaningful constraint on future economic growth, and it’s a trend we’ll continue watching closely.

Read more here: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/general/job-seekers-giving-up-labor-force-participation-rate-falls-to-lowest-in-50-years-outside-of-covid-era/

Investment Advisory Services are offered through BCGM Wealth Management, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.

07/10/2026

The Aurora team expanded this summer with the addition of our summer intern, Karson Parrott!

We love having the ability to share formative experiences with the next generation of financial leaders like Karson, and are so glad he's been able to gain new insights during his time with us.

Karson wrote a blog about his first month at Aurora, which you can find here.

Karson Parrott shares reflections on his summer internship at Aurora.

05/28/2026

The inflation story may not be as under control as the market hoped.

Oil inventories are shrinking quickly, and that pressure is starting to work its way through the economy.

April CPI came in hotter than expected, with headline inflation running at a 3.8% annualized pace. Producer prices were even stronger, with PPI up at a 6% annualized rate. Businesses are getting squeezed.

You can already see it showing up in food prices. Fertilizer costs have surged alongside energy, and food inflation just posted its biggest increase since August 2022.

The bigger issue is what happens next.

Companies only have two choices when input costs rise:

Accept lower margins
Raise prices

Most eventually choose the second.

At the same time, the economy still looks fairly resilient. Retail sales and labor data remain solid, and manufacturing activity continues to benefit from heavy data center investment.

That combination matters because resilient demand plus rising input costs is not a great setup for inflation coming down quickly.

Rates have started moving higher again as markets price in a greater chance the Fed may need to tighten further this year.

And higher rates eventually hit the most interest-rate-sensitive parts of the economy first:
housing, autos, and highly leveraged businesses.

The market still seems positioned for a smooth inflation slowdown. The data may be pointing somewhere else.

Read more in our newsletter: https://aurorafinancialstrategies.us10.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=235c8b31ff2d0621142c2d43c&id=4c95f21516

05/26/2026

Semiconductor stocks have become a market leader once again.

As of 5/21/26, SOXX (iShares Semiconductor ETF) is up more than 74% YTD and over 154% in the last 12 months, according to FactSet.

But investors should ask an important question:
How much of this earnings growth is actually sustainable?

Right now, a large portion of semiconductor profits are being driven by shortages- especially in commoditized chips.

Memory has historically been one of the most cyclical industries in the market:
High profits attract new capacity.
New capacity eventually creates oversupply.
Oversupply crushes pricing power.

We’ve seen this cycle repeatedly over the last several decades.

And while these gains are certainly boding well for some investors, higher chip prices affect electronics, industrial equipment, and consumer products- leading to pushback and pressure by both manufacturers and consumers.

We suspect that these shortage-driven profits will not be long-lasting, and prices will likely stabilize again in the future.

Read more in our newsletter: https://aurorafinancialstrategies.us10.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=235c8b31ff2d0621142c2d43c&id=4c95f21516

05/21/2026

Business spending continues to be a major driver of economic growth, fueled largely by the ongoing AI infrastructure buildout.

March data showed strong momentum:
• Business spending on equipment and structures increased 10.4%
• Equipment spending alone surged 17%
• Factory orders rose 1.5% from February

The key question moving forward is sustainability.

Can this level of AI-related investment continue long term, or will other parts of the economy need to step up to maintain growth momentum?

Right now, corporate investment is carrying significant weight in the economy. The next phase will depend on whether this spending remains durable and whether broader economic demand can keep pace.

05/20/2026

The stock market has delivered extraordinary returns over the last 15 years, but history reminds us that strong runs don’t last forever. Today’s market looks increasingly concentrated, expensive, and heavily dependent on a handful of technology companies tied to the AI infrastructure boom.

We’ve seen this story before.

During the dot-com era, investors believed internet growth would justify any valuation. The technology changed the world, but many investments still failed because expectations ran too far ahead of reality.

That doesn’t mean investors should avoid equities. It means diversification and discipline matter more than ever.

At Aurora Asset Management, we believe opportunities exist beyond the crowded corners of the market, in areas where valuations are lower and expectations are more reasonable. Small-cap value, energy, defense, housing, telecom, and other overlooked sectors may offer attractive long-term potential.

Read our latest blog for a deeper look at today’s market risks and where we’re finding opportunities. auroramgt.com/asset-management-blog/stock-market-investors-need-a-different-approach

Explore the growing risks facing today’s stock market, from inflated valuations and AI infrastructure spending to inflation pressures and market concentration. This article compares the current AI boom to the dot-com era and explains what investors can learn from past market cycles when building p...

05/14/2026

April’s CPI report highlights a growing challenge for the Federal Reserve and the U.S. economy.

Consumer prices rose 3.8% year-over-year in April, with energy and food costs increasing sharply. Even excluding those categories, inflation still climbed 2.8%, remaining above the Fed’s 2% target.

At the same time, unemployment remains very low, making it harder for the Fed to justify cutting interest rates. Persistent inflation, especially driven by an oil supply shock, strengthens the case for keeping rates elevated because lower rates could push prices even higher.

Meanwhile, wages are not keeping pace with inflation, meaning many workers are losing purchasing power.

The Fed is now balancing two competing priorities: stable prices and full employment.

05/13/2026

Devon Energy and Coterra Energy have completed their merger, marking a major transaction in the energy sector. Under the terms of the deal, shareholders of Coterra Energy (CTRA) received 0.7 shares of Devon Energy (DVN) for each CTRA share held, along with cash for any fractional shares.

The combined company is expected to deliver substantial operational synergies, significant cost savings, and enhanced long-term value through accelerated capital returns to shareholders. Investors across both companies may see portfolio, tax, and valuation implications as a result of the transaction.

If you held CTRA or DVN shares during the merger, there may be important financial considerations and opportunities to review. Read our latest blog for a deeper breakdown of what this merger means for shareholders, potential tax impacts, and what investors should watch moving forward.

Learn how the completed merger between Coterra Energy (CTRA) and Devon Energy (DVN) could benefit shareholders through improved operational efficiency, reduced costs, higher profitability, dividend growth, and an $8 billion share buyback plan.

05/07/2026

Consumer and housing data offered some encouraging signs in March, though the drivers are worth a closer look.

Retail sales rose 1.7% month over month, with gains led by gas stations and furniture stores. Higher gas prices played a role, and larger-than-usual tax refunds likely gave spending an added boost.

In housing, pending home sales increased 1.5% from February. Contract signings moved higher even as mortgage rates remained elevated, suggesting some resilience in buyer activity.

The trend is positive on the surface, but the underlying factors will matter in determining how sustainable this momentum really is.

To learn more read our newsletter: https://aurorafinancialstrategies.us10.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=235c8b31ff2d0621142c2d43c&id=4c95f21516